As of Jan. 18, AT&T customers at least six months into their two-year contracts can switch to the Next program for no additional charge. At the same time, customers switching over can opt for one of AT&T’s mobile share plans. Customers who switch over to both Next and the new mobile share plans will get a $15 monthly discount on their service. In addition, for customers newly signing on for two-year contracts as of Jan. 19, AT&T has shortened the device upgrade cycle from 24 months to 20 months.

The move back down to a 20-month device upgrade cycle marks a reversal of AT&T’s announcement last summer that it was extending the cycle to a full two years.

Last summer, after T-Mobile announced its Jump early upgrade program, AT&T became the first carrier to follow suit with its own Next. Verizon and Sprint eventually launched early device upgrade programs of their own.

Video of Get a New Smartphone or Tablet Every 12 Months with AT&amp;T Next